Why Law? II

Why Law? II       

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created,

in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

**

and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother,

and

slew him.

**

If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

***

And

they

said unto

**

There were giants in the earth

in

those days;

and

also

after that,

when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men,

and

they bare children to them,

the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

***

them,

We

cannot do this thing,

to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised;

for

that were

a

reproach unto us:

**

To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend;

but

he

forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

My brethren

have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and

as the stream of brooks they pass away; Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:

What time they wax warm,

they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing,

and

perish.

***

But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become

one people.

**

And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. . .

. . . And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him,

So

shall thy seed be.

**

And Laban said,

It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

***

But if

ye

will not hearken

unto us,

to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter,

and

we

will be gone.

And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight

in

Jacob's daughter:

and

he

was more honourable than all the house of his father.

EL EL he o Israel

And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city,

saying,

These men are peaceable

with us;

therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein;

for the land,

behold,

it is large enough for them;

let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

     Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.

Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

ISamuelYeaO